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Kemi Badenoch Wants Asylum Seekers Caught Working Illegally To Be Deported
UK Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch Wants Asylum Seekers Caught Working Illegally To Be Put ‘On The Next Plane Home’
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has declared that asylum seekers who work without permission in the United Kingdom should be deported immediately.
"If you come here illegally, take advantage of our asylum system, and then break our laws by illegally working, your asylum claim must be rejected, and you should be on the next plane home," Ms Badenoch said.
Ms Badenoch and her shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, criticised the UK as being a "soft touch" and that illegal working acts as a "pull factor" for those making the dangerous journey across the English Channel, Sky News reports.
She also said illegal working "rewards illegality, protects perpetrators and mocks hard-working taxpayers".
Mr Philp added: "Illegal working is a pull factor sold by smugglers as a reward to break into our country and cross the Channel. That is why we are calling for new action: anyone who plays the system should have their status stripped, wages confiscated, and be deported."
Earlier in the summer, Mr Philp made an unannounced visit to an asylum hotel where he said he found "clear evidence of illegal working for Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats".
There are reports that asylum seekers can rent legitimate delivery driver accounts within hours of arriving in the country – skipping employment legality checks.
Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat have previously told Sky News they are continuing to strengthen the technology they use to remove anyone working illegally.
Last month, the Home Office struck an agreement with the firms to equip them with tools to identify patterns of misuse and riders who are not allowed to work in the UK.
As part of the deal, the government will share the locations of asylum hotels.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, previously said illegal working "undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime".
She described the Home Office's data-sharing deal as "decisive action to close loopholes and increase enforcement," and added it sat alongside "a 50% increase in raids and arrests for illegal working".
Ministers have also pointed to the Border Security Bill working its way through parliament, which could see companies fined £60,000 for each illegal worker discovered.
Last month, Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, told Sky News that arrests for illegal working were up over the past year by 51% from the year before, to more than 7,000.
"If we find you working, you can lose access to the hotel or the support you have [been] given under false pretences," she said. "We are cracking down on that abuse, and we intend to keep doing so."
In a recent podcast interview, Badenoch declared that she no longer identifies as Nigerian, despite her ancestry and birth ties.
She added that she hadn’t renewed her Nigerian passport in over 20 years and fully identifies with the UK. This sparked outrage among Nigerians who felt she was disowning her heritage and undermining diaspora pride.
Badenoch has repeatedly described Nigeria as a country that failed to nurture its potential. She cited her parents’ decision to relocate her to the UK due to Nigeria’s “unstable political and economic climate.”
Many Nigerians interpreted this as a sweeping condemnation of the country, prompting accusations of betrayal and elitism.
During an interview on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Badenoch claimed that: “The Nigerian Constitution does not permit women to pass on their citizenship to their children.”
This statement was widely denounced as factually incorrect. The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) petitioned the UK Parliament, stating that Nigerian law grants equal citizenship rights to men and women.
They accused Badenoch of spreading misinformation that could damage diplomatic relations.
Badenoch also made controversial comments about Nigeria’s northern ethnic groups, which drew criticism for being divisive and insensitive.